BXBX NOVEL Chapter 260 257: Start of the Expedition!
Chapter 260 257: Start of the Expedition!
Led by Marshall, a large group of level 2-3 bloodline users, along with six low and two mid-rank wizards, left the Frontier on the back of fire-tailed steeds and set out on an expedition to the lesser dimension just as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon.
"How far is it?" Clea asked.
"The lesser dimension is located in the 4th region of the Verdant Deepwood Forest as discovered by the Northern Frontier\'s scout team," Ron, his eye-glasses-wearing subordinate, replied.
While riding a moving steed and leading an entire group deeper into the forest, Marshall turned to them and spoke,
"Ordinarily, the journey to the recently formed lesser dimension would take us a grueling four hours on foot. That\'s four hours through dangerous terrain filled with God-knows-what just to get to our destination. Hence, I requested the fire-tailed steeds from the Ruling family of the Upper Haven. They are renowned for their speed and endurance. So, it will take us a mere half-hour."
"Are you wondering why I am telling you this?" he suddenly asked.
"Y-yeah, we are."
"I want you to know who helped us and feel grateful to them."
Marshall satisfied their curiosity and cleared their confusion with his words.
"Once we get there, I\'ll brief you on the critical things you need to keep in mind while exploring the lesser dimension. While it might not fully prepare you for the dangers inside the lesser dimension, I dare say it could very well save your lives," Marshall added.
Val wondered what important thing he could tell them that would be an immense help in the lesser dimension.
Rustle!
Suddenly, as they were moving through the dense forest, a bear with striking stripes across its fur burst out of the dense and thick foliage of the Verdent Deepwood Forest and came charging towards them. It was enormous, towering like a small hill.
"It\'s a striped mana bear."
The onlookers sucked in a cold breath at the sight of it.
The striped mana bear was amongst the strongest dwellers of the forest. It was a rare and powerful level 60 beast. It posed a significant threat even to level 6 bloodline users. Not only did it possess immense physical strength, but it also had magical abilities. One of its most feared attacks was the "Elemental Roar," which allowed it to channel elemental energy through its vocal cords and unleash a devastating shockwave of mixed elements like fire, ice, and lightning, which could easily eradicate an army of low-level bloodline user.
It was truly a force to be reckoned with, at least for them.
The bear suddenly stopped, stood up on its hind legs, and opened its massive jaws wide. It was a sign that it was preparing to let out its fearsome Elemental Roar. If it successfully pulled it off, a majority of their group would be annihilated.
\'I can\'t allow it to happen.\'
Marshall, sensing the urgency of the situation, didn\'t hesitate before taking the risky maneuver of vaulting off his fire-tailed steed, shooting straight towards the bear like a swift and deadly arrow and kicking it squarely in the chest.
Marshall\'s kick was so strong it instantly lifted the bear off its feet and hurled it backward through the air with tremendous force.
It crashed through several trees, splintering trunks and snapping branches, before finally coming to a rest on the forest floor.
It lay there, thoroughly disoriented, unable to muster the strength to move even an inch. The sheer power of Marshall\'s kick had rendered it incapacitated.
\'He is petty, but he has the quality of a leader,\' Val praised him in his mind as Marshall\'s quick action had averted a catastrophe, saving the lives of his expedition members.
\'Anyways, I should always make a move. Marshall is handing valuable resources to me on a silver platter. It will be quite regretful if I don\'t take it.\'
Val unsheathed Voidslayer from the scabbard that hung at his waist. The scabbard was a heartfelt gift from Eliana to him. To honor her and show that he valued her, he had decided to make her gift the permanent home for his sword, tying it to his side.
With the sword in hand, he vaulted off his steed just like Marshal and leaped out from the group, his emotionless eyes locked onto the disoriented bear.
He had a specific reason for jumping into this fray: he wanted to steal the kill from Marshall. Normally, taking on a beast of this level would be unthinkable for him, but the situation was different today. The bear was already weakened by Marshall\'s powerful strike, making it vulnerable and easier to defeat. And Val knew that if he could finish off this formidable creature, there could be significant rewards awaiting him, though he didn\'t know exactly what they might be. Thus, he dared to take this risk.
As Val shot towards the creature like a cannonball, he tightened his grip on Voidslayer and thrust it forward with a focused strike.
Many in the group held their breath; they knew the bear\'s hide was incredibly resilient, akin to rank-3 cursed artifacts. It was so strong that even the attack of a powerful warrior like Marshall failed to shatter its bones.
Thus, no one thought Val\'s blade could do more than scratch the surface.
But then, one unbelievable thing after another happened.
First off, lightning bolts burst out of Val\'s sword, catching the Striped Mana Bear off guard. They stabbed into its eyes, blinding it and overwhelming it with pain, further disorienting it and making it impossible for it to do anything to dodge or block Val\'s actual attack that was aimed at its life.
As a result, Val\'s sword not only pierced the bear\'s formidable exterior but did it with uncanny precision. So precise was the strike he struck the bear with that the blade found its way straight to the creature\'s heart.
"Voidslayer, it\'s time to feast," Val mentally communicated to the spirit sword through the mysterious connection they shared. "Enjoy its blood to your heart\'s master.
"Yes, master!"
An awe-inspiring scene unfolded: Voidslayer began devouring all the blood inside the heart of the Striped Mana Bear as well as all the blood coming towards it, causing the creature\'s heart to turn a ghastly shade of white.
This also filled the sword\'s \'rage meter,\' thereby making its first special and active ability, the Crimson Slash skill, available for use.
Although he could have ended the battle immediately, Val decided to not use this trump card to further damage the bear, as he was convinced that the bear would not survive for long, not with an empty circulatory system. He just needed to survive till then.
He pulled out his sword from the Striped Mana Bear and decided to create some distance between them. However, before he could even start moving away from it, the beast let out a deafening roar.
Whoosh!
In a desperate last effort, the beast swung its massive claw toward Val with such speed it tore through the air and raised shockwaves.
The beast knew it was on its last legs, but it had the resolve to take at least one enemy down with it!
The situation looked so dire for Val that the onlookers thought Val was done for; after all, the beast\'s attack was swift and launched from extremely close to Val.
Even a level 6 bloodline warrior would have found it challenging to evade if they were attacked by a Striped Mana Bear from such a range and at such speed, let alone Val, who was just a level 3.
Clea also wished that Val would die under the paw of the beast.
But he and the others have clearly underestimated him.
Val had multiple bloodline skills that directly and instantly boosted his stats. If he activated them, he would become faster than a level 6 warrior. But his sixth sense was telling him he wasn\'t in a desperate situation. He didn\'t need to go all out and expose his true strength to the onlookers. He also didn\'t do it as it might cause Clea to give up on the assassination altogether.
And as he expected, just as the bear\'s claw was about to tear him to shred, something unexpected happened.
A surge of soul power emanated from Oliver.
It was so strong that it was discernible even from a distance.
Bam!
An echoing reverberation rang out as this burst of power from him rocketed through the air and collided with the bear\'s enormous paw, failing to halt it, but managing to to veer it off its intended trajectory.
Val sensed the shift in the beast attack caused by Oliver and, seizing the moment, tilted his body ever so slightly.
As a result, the claw of the beast missed him by inches!
"Finish it!" Marshall commanded him in a voice that cut through the tension like a knife.
The order he had given to Val was clear, and the room for error was nonexistent.
\'It is time for me to end this encounter, one way or another,\' Val thought.
Before the bear could react or make another move, Val already slashed out with his sword.
Voidslayer was a unique spirit sword as it had a special passive spatial ability that allowed it to ignore all forms of defense of any creature.
So, when he swung it at the bear\'s neck, the sword went through as if the beast\'s tough hide and flesh were made of paper as if the beast\'s copper-like veins and steel-like bones were non-existent.
The bear\'s head was cleanly severed from its body by a single swing of Val\'s sword.
The monster didn\'t even get the chance to let out a final, agonizing roar before it was eliminated!